Lamp Shade Re-Do

This post is late but hey, better late than never. Anyway, I told you in this post about the lamp shade re-do that I completed for A's nursery. Here's a quick glimpse at how it all happened.

I found this really cute lamp in the As-Is section at Ikea and was so excited. I love glass lamps but even at Ikea they can be pretty pricey. This bad boy however was only $3! Score! (I should have known at the time that there was a reason it was so cheap but more on that later). Anyway I brought it home where it sat in her room for forever a year 8 months. I had imagined recovering her lamp shade using the fabrics in her room but I never quite got around to it. When I finally found some motivation to finish it, I realized I didn't just want a plain shade so I decided to add some ruffles to it because who doesn't love ruffles?!

First I cut strips of fabric about 2 inches wide (the width you cut will depend on whether or not you want finished edges). I decided to go with a finished edge so I ironed both edges under. You can sew the edges down (or use interfacing to have them stick) or just leave them as is if you're lazy like me! You can also leave the edges un-ironed (is that a word?) for a more shabby look.

Anyway after you decide how you want your edges, set your machine to the longest stitch length and sew a straight line through the center of your strip. Now I know there is a ruffler foot attachment that you can buy and avoid this whole process but I don't have one so this is how I roll.

When you sew your strip be sure not to back stitch at all and to leave a couple of inches extra thread at the end. Take your strip and start pulling the top thread out while at the same time pushing your fabric in the opposite direction, causing it to ruffle. Continue pulling out the top thread until your strip of fabric is as ruffled as you like. Tie a knot at the end to keep it from coming undone and you're finished.

I used hot glue to attach the ruffles to the shade, starting at the bottom and working my way to the top. If you look closely you'll notice I gave up on the finished edges except for the top and bottom. It was taking too long and I figured it added to the charm of the shade.

This project wasn't very difficult just very time consuming because of all the ruffles I had to make. I was so excited when it was finished, even more excited to put it together and finally add it to the nursery. Imagine my disappointment when I tried to place the shade on the lamp base only to discover that one (or more) of the metal prongs was missing (now I know why it was so cheap)! The shade sits on there but leans to one side or the other. Fail! I was way too irritated to figure out a way to fix it so I just put it in her room and leaned it up against the curtains. Who's gonna know? Other than all of you?!

Yes, I'll fix it one of these days...maybe right about the time I get her name up on the wall! Ha.